I ran up to the wall. In fact, I was running into the wall. The last two miles were murder. That and it was a beautiful day, and there went three hours I was not spending with my children. This is a stupid, vainglorious exercise and I don't know why I am doing it any more.

It was threatening rain when I stepped out, and so I have my rain jacket. With the first two miles the clouds had disappeared and it was apparent they would not be returning. I tied the jacket around my waist, resigned to the deadweight. I had gummi bears in one pocket, and lip balm in the other. That's one thing I learned last week, don't forget the lip balm.

This is my body:

HEAD Watch the alcohol, kid. I had two beers last night, two. But I have been exhausted, and I knew before going to bed that these two beers would give me a hangover. I pounded as much water before sleeping but it was no use. I woke with the beginning of a full-fledge migraine, took my Imitrex and went back to sleep. It was a rough morning, but the pain was gone well before noon.

VOICE Very tired, very weak.

CHEST Two words: raw nipples.

ABDOMEN I thought running would take care of my excess baggage, but running makes me hungrier and for the wrong things. I still have five pounds of deadweight (the figure above is misleading, it's all absence of water weight) to carry around every time I go out.

HIP My left hip was acting up since last Wednesday's run, and was pained up until I began running today. I still feel wrecked right now ... but my hip doesn't hurt. Bonus.

KNEES They are all right, I used a brace today because I have had a few twinges, but that was just a precaution.

SHINS Wore both braces, didn't feel anything bad all day, and including right now.

FEET Oh, my poor feet. Ill-fitting shoes and probably just bad posture give me these great, honking corns, which have reached mass density and now feature blood-blisters. Someone at work yesterday suggested the reason none of my shoes fit any more is because of all the running. Hmn. Smart.

This evening I drank a lot of water, but I didn't feel anything near well until Karl encouraged me to have a beer (carbs, muscle relaxant) and I had a big dinner. That, and Mark remembered to offer me some Ibuprofen. Karl has also urged me not to run tomorrow, but just to walk the three miles. That's if I even feel like continuing with the nonsense tomorrow.

Though, I have to tell you ... running all the way to collision bend - past all the citizens fishing in the lake, past the marinas, the whales on CPP, and Aviation High School, scarfing gummi bears next to Burke Lakefront while watching the Saturday traffic pour in and out of the city on I-90 on a gorgeous late summer day - and that I had gotten there on my own two feet ... that was pretty all right.